FentonIA
A town of 250, settled in 1874.
Is Fenton a good place to live?
No town among the 141 in Iowa we compare has a higher average trip to work than Fenton. Fenton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
250 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Fenton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fenton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Fenton.
Fenton’s typical home value is about $127K
The typical Fenton home is worth about $127,000, up 9.3% in a year, 46% below the Iowa typical home. 91% of Fenton households own their home, against 70% in Iowa’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The median rent in Fenton is $760 a month.
| Fenton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $760 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median age in Fenton is higher than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
Fenton’s median age is 49 years, above both the Iowa town median (38.7 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Fenton has lost 6.7% of its people since 2020, down to 250 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 32% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide).
| Fenton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Fenton | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.2% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Fenton’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Fenton for work: only 0% work in town. Fenton’s median household income is $55,000. The top destinations are Algona (19%), Bancroft (16%) and Swea City (3%).
| Fenton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fenton has four seasons and pleasant summers
Fenton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Fenton
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Fenton is
Fenton beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 14% of adults have diabetes in Fenton.
| Fenton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fenton | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.7% | 66.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fenton City Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Fenton
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fenton; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Fenton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
100% of working residents leave Fenton for work
Where Fenton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Fenton
City in Iowa, USA
Fenton is a city in Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 271 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1899
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,240 ft
- ZIP code
- 50539
Questions about Fenton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fenton, IA a good place to live?
Fenton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.